Friday, March 29

Novak Djokovic drama overshadowed by uplifting Australian Open finish | Australian Open 2022


DDuring the first weeks of the new tennis season, the best players are usually more relaxed. As they head into the new year after some quality time away from competition, they arrive in Australia before the cost of constant travel, countless matches and numerous frustrating defeats take their toll.

But this was no normal Australian Open. The tournament began in the shadow of unprecedented drama as Novak Djokovic’s visa saga unfolded for nearly two weeks. His building was surrounded by human rights activists protesting the more than thirty refugees detained indefinitely, hundreds of Serb-Australians, and numerous protesters against the mandate. After many long and boring court hearings sped up to the speed of light, Djokovic ended up being deported from the country on the eve of the tournament.

This had nothing to do with any of the other players, many of whom had not been vaccinated a few months ago but chose to do so in order to compete, however the vibes at the Australian Open at the start of the tournament were off. Djokovic’s deportation was looming, with players constantly peppered with questions about him. Naomi Osaka summed up the mood as she passed by giving a reply. “Is my opinion going to help anything?” she said.

However, what unfolded over the next two weeks is an affirmation of the sport itself and the moments of joy, lightness and hope that it brings. From the opening rounds of a Grand Slam tournament, when 256 men and women battle it out for titles, nearly every round has the potential for someone to have one of the best days of their life.

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One of the most moving stories of the fortnight was Alizé Cornet’s long-awaited moment in the sun. As she was contesting her 60th consecutive Grand Slam tournament at age 32, Cornet finally reached the quarterfinals. In one of the happiest moments of her life, Cornet used it to shine a light on Jelena Dokic, the interviewer, applauding your strength for being a survivor of abuse.

His compatriot, Gaël Monfils, entered the press room at 1am on Wednesday morning after a tight quarter-final loss to Matteo Berrettini, but while speaking to two English-speaking journalists he delivered one of the most emotional moments of the event by deciding to fight for the possibility of winning a Grand Slam title. “All the time in my career, I never made the right decision [on court],” he said. “I’m fine with that. I must say I’m pretty cool with it, but I think I can click once. Before I finish, I think I’ll do it once. So that’s my faith.”

The Special Ks continued to rise as Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis won the men’s doubles title. Osaka bounced back, lost in the third round but approached her career with a greater perspective that she hopes will help her throughout the season.

Carlos Alcaraz, the next great hope, moved on. Two 17-year-old trailblazers emerged in the juniors, with Angella Okutoyi becoming the first Kenyan player to win a junior Grand Slam match when she reached the third round and Meshkat al-Zahra Safi becoming the first Iranian to win a major. junior. .

Danielle Collins (left) and Ash Barty shake hands at the net at the end of the women's singles final.
Danielle Collins (left) and Ash Barty shake hands at the net at the end of the women’s singles final. Photograph: Andy Cheung/Getty Images

The tournament ended with a variety of lessons and a broad perspective. Danielle Collins is only nine months away from surgery to remove a tennis ball-sized cyst from her uterus due to her endometriosis, but she made it all the way to the final and seized her opportunity with a performance by the highest quality. As she won and won, Collins was continually open about her health problems and, at times, the crippling effects they had had on her.

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Ash Barty had entered her home slam as the heavy favorite and her third Australian Open as the world number one. With all the pressure that can come in front of a home crowd, Barty shut down the world and took out his opponents one by one to take his first Australian Open title, delivering an all-time great sporting moment to a huge audience. .

Barty’s victory was watched by a record average national audience of 3.577 million and a day later the men’s final became an instant classic when Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev squared off. Nadal had no reason to expect that he would still be in the draw at this point in the tournament. Just reaching the final had already been enough for him to react with tears. His preparation for the tournament was a disaster, but his mental toughness led to one of the most amazing wins of his career.

Despite the pessimism at the start of the tournament, what unfolded at Melbourne Park was an extraordinary few weeks and there will probably never be anything like it again. It’s a reminder that no player is greater than the sport, but also that, despite its flaws, tennis has a knack for providing uplifting, humane moments from less celebrated players from the early rounds to the very end.


www.theguardian.com

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